Beyond Good & Evil Review

My only real gripe with Michael Ancel's latest creation had to do with the god-awful camera and the overall console feel to the controls. I never really felt comfortable controlling Jade (or her hovercraft) and the goddamn awkward camera angles just made things even more difficult. Usually, I'm not too keen on bashing a game simply because of its lacking control system, but this is an adventure-platformer for crying out loud! Fluid and intuitive camera and controls mean a whole hell of a lot for this genre, even with the automated jumping! Sadly, BG&E has failed us PC gamers in those regards. The game is still very enjoyable, but it can often get very frustrating and just tiring. Certain actions demand precision, and precise and intuitive controls is not something you'll find in BG&E.

Real journalists are prepared for anything.

Watch it, buster!

In summary, although the game might seem simplistic and childish on the surface, I assure you that there is more to BG&E than meets the eye. The characters are lovable and even cute - like our heroine Jade (you lecherous old coot - Six), the game world is elaborate and imaginative enough and the gameplay has enough variety and good design decisions built into it to keep you playing on. All you really have to do is find a way to accept the console controls and camera for what they are - flawed. One other thing is that worlds like Rayman, Final Fantasy, and Zelda are not for every PC gamer out there. You must have an initial liking for their cartoonish style to truly enjoy BG&E. If you are indeed willing to put up with the clunky gameplay mechanics and the unique art style you should definitely buy this game. There is no multiplayer, but there is sufficient quality single-player gameplay in there to make it worth the price of admission.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The screenshots provided with this review are taken from the game's official site as we were unable to find any way to grab shots ourselves. We would like to thank the programmers of this game for doing such a thorough job on hiding the screenshot key from us. At least we've managed to make two exclusive in-game movies for your viewing pleasure.